Language-related stereotype threat, customers’ well-being and its outcome

What is it about?

While language is vital for a successful service exchange, it can also become a source of vulnerability for a non-native speaker in an Inter-Culture Service Encounter (ICSE). The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between language-related stigma that non-native customers perceive in an ICSE, and the associated psychological and behavioral responses. The findings of a survey-based study followed by an experimental study suggest that customers who perceive language-related stigmatization in an ICSE context experience intergroup anxiety and lack of social belonging. In turn, intergroup anxiety influences their interaction comfort with the service provider. In the end, these experiences shape their future buying behavior, i.e., they tend to avoid direct interactions with the servers and prefer smart services.

Featured Image